Havana/Seriously injured in recent years, the tourism industry in Cuba faces a new problem: the redirection, by the airlines, of flights that previously went to the island and now prefer to land in their great competitor in the Caribbean, Dominican Republic.
This happened this week with the Swiss airline Edelweiss, who diverted several of his routes to Cuba, David Collado, Minister of Tourism of the Dominican Republic told the press, during the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) that takes place in Spain.
“We sign agreements with different operators and airlines today and tomorrow we will continue signing with Iberia, Air Europa and Edelweiss, which will increase to five additional flights to the Dominican Republic, flights that were in Cuba and are transferring them to the The Dominican Republic, “said the minister, who assured that his country has made successful management to guarantee new air routes and commercial partners.
“Today Air Transat told us that the amount of Canada flights to the Dominican Republic and Air Canada will increase,” added Collado.
“Today Air Transat communicated us that will increase the amount of Canada flights to the Dominican Republic and Air Canada too”
The redirection of flights occurs a few days after Edelweiss will announce The suspension of its Zurich route to Havana, whose last journey will be made on February 27, according to the company A 14ymedio.
The Swiss environment 20 Minuteswhich initially reported the suspension of the routes, said that “the decision is based, on the one hand, on the decrease in demand and, on the other, on the current conditions of the José Martí International Airport of Havana. A review In situ Made by Edelweiss has shown that it is difficult to guarantee stable and reliable long -term long -term operations. ”
The company promised to reimburse the price of tickets to those who had acquired tickets outside the deadline.
A month earlier, the German Condor too advertisement The suspension of its flights to the island for the summer season since 1990, except for the pandemic. The company was traveling to three destinations: Havana, Holguín and Varadero.
Since Cuba entered the list of states that sponsor terrorism, European citizens who visited the island can no longer benefit from the visa exemption program to enter the United States, which, in the opinion of the Cuban government, had damaged the destination in the European market.
The company promised to reimburse the price of tickets to those who had acquired tickets outside the deadline
The Spanish travelerswhich were previously an important market for Cuba, are those that have experienced the most worrying fall: until November 2024, Spain left 26.8% of travelers less than in the first eleven months of 2023. It does not strange, therefore, therefore, That the Cuban Minister of Tourism, Juan Carlos García Granda, has arrived in Fitur stressing that his government works before “difficult, complicated scenarios” in the tourism sector.
The promise of the Ministry of Transportation of repairing the airports has not fruitful either. According to the owner of the portfolio, Eduardo Rodríguez Dávila, last July, terminal 3 –Dedded to commercial flights – of José Martí, in Havana, had a new climate system and an extension of its facilities that never never occurred. “That airport really has been at the limit for a long time. We have tried to make investments, and the Havana airport is the one that concentrates more than 50% of the arrival of passengers,” he lamented then.
